Nature is in trouble and needs our help. This is true in the North Pennines as elsewhere. Society has failed to stem biodiversity decline locally and globally, in part by trying to conserve what little is left, and nature ‘conservation’ is no longer an adequate term for the work required.
Nature needs help to recover and become more resilient in the face of pressure from human activity and the effects of accelerating climate change. This requires the re-establishment or replication of natural processes [See Box 1 Restoring natural processes / ecological function] and restoration of complexity over sufficiently large scales, not just in isolated patches of species-rich habitat. Helping new, resilient ecosystems to emerge will mean looking forward, not looking back.
This section of the management plan outlines the priorities for nature, lists some of the measures that those who care for and look after the North Pennines can take, individually and collectively, and points to advice on how to take them. Recognising that some of the suggested measures might be challenging for some in the current funding environment, policy makers are urged to shape the incentives which make these actions possible.
Land-based economy plays an important role in the cultural life of the North Pennines and there is a need to retain, indeed expand, a strong land-based economy, as farmers and other land managers make the changes needed for nature to recover. To make this happen there is a need to repurpose public and private finance, and therefore some of the activities of farmers, gamekeepers and others, for the delivery of nature recovery (and other public goods such as carbon sequestration and natural flood management).
The largest part of recovering nature will be through changes to the way our land is managed. On marginal land, in particular, what is asked of farmers may feel challenging. For example, ensuring livestock systems are adapted and managed to increase focus on delivery of public goods, while still producing high quality food and stock, is a big cultural change. It is acknowledged that to make these changes for nature, farmers and other land managers will need significant support for a fair transition.
This is part of an ongoing conversation between all those who are interested in nature restoration, especially those who own or manage land and others engaged in conservation.